43rd PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology EVIDENCE NUMBER 030 Friday, August 14, 2020 Chair: Mrs. Sherry Romanado 1 Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology Friday, August 14, 2020 ● (1405) We will start with Professor Ed McCauley, president and vice- [English] chancellor of the University of Calgary. The Chair (Mrs. Sherry Romanado (Longueuil—Charles- You have the floor for five minutes. LeMoyne, Lib.)): Good afternoon, everyone. I now call this meet‐ ing to order. Dr. Ed McCauley (President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Calgary): Thank you. Welcome to meeting number 30 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology. Pursuant [Translation] to the order of reference of Saturday, April 11, the committee is meeting for the purpose of receiving evidence concerning matters I'd like to thank the committee for the opportunity to appear be‐ related to the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. fore you today. Today's meeting is taking place by video conference, and the pro‐ ceedings will be made available via the House of Commons web‐ [English] site. All aspects of our societies have been impacted by COVID-19. I'd like to remind the members and the witnesses to please wait Post-secondary institutions across the country responded rapidly to before speaking until I recognize them by name. When you are ensure the success of students. At the University of Calgary, we ready to speak, please unmute your microphone, and then return to moved 30,000 students to remote learning, brought home our stu‐ mute when you are finished speaking. When speaking, please speak dents and scholars studying abroad, ensured that our domestic and slowly and clearly and hold the microphone for your earbuds close international students were safe, and moved over 5,000 faculty and to your mouth, if you are using earbuds, so that the translators can staff to remote work where possible. This was done in a matter of do their work. It is also very important that you make sure that your days. We implemented a decade of innovation in a few weeks. channel is on the appropriate language, the language in which you are speaking. Therefore, if you are speaking English, please make At the same time, as a great research university, our faculty and sure it is on English. If you are speaking French, please make sure students were engaged in national and international research pro‐ it is on French. grams to understand COVID-19 and reduce its impact on our health and our societies. We worked closely with all levels of government As is my normal practice, I will hold up a yellow card when you to inform public health policy. Our spin-out companies rapidly piv‐ have 30 seconds left in your intervention, and I will hold up a red oted to supply much-needed products to fight the transmission of card when your time for questions has expired. COVID-19. Our students, themselves impacted by the pandemic, stepped up to support our community. I would now like to welcome our witnesses. [Translation] [Translation] I'm extremely proud of how our students rose to the challenges We have with us Magda Fusaro, rector of the Université du presented by the COVID‑19 pandemic. Not only did they adapt, but Québec à Montréal, and Denis Martel, rector of the Université du they also gave up their time to help those in need. Québec en Abitibi‑Témiscamingue. [English] [English] From the University of Calgary, we have president and vice- They supported grocery delivery for those who couldn't get out. chancellor Ed McCauley. From the University of Toronto, we have They volunteered to conduct contact tracing for the provincial Matt Ratto, associate professor and Bell University Labs chair in health care system, and over 200 pre-service teachers provided free human-computer interaction. From Universities Canada, we have individualized online tutoring for primary and secondary students. Mr. Philip Landon, vice-president and chief operating officer. Our staff rallied to produce supports for mental health, up-to-the- moment information and advice on how to deal with the day-to-day Each witness will present for five minutes, followed by our impacts of the “new normal”. I'm very proud of how we helped and rounds of questions. what we accomplished. 2 INDU-30 August 14, 2020 But now is the time to look beyond the immediate COVID-19 I've been going through the transcripts of recent witnesses to this emergency and ask how we can support this generation of students committee, and I was struck by comments by Dr. McDonald, on and scholars and ensure Canada's future. COVID-19 has shown the June 1 of this year, about the development of an emergency ventila‐ crucial roles that universities play to support Canadians, which is tor by an international team of scientists and engineers. why I'm pushing as hard as I can to ensure that we learn from this year's “decade of innovation”. My goal today is to highlight those kinds of efforts and tell you a This fall, we are adopting a hybrid model of delivery. Within little bit more about research that's ongoing, not just by research public health guidelines, we want to maximize in-person interac‐ scientists and Nobel Prize winners, but also by groups including tions. They are a key part of our student experience and a key com‐ front-line doctors, local hobbyists, students and even indigenous ponent of knowledge creation and innovation. The electricity, the groups like the Nishnawbe Aski Nation in northern Ontario, who lifelong friendships formed and the excitement of starting a new have been leveraging local know-how, digital fabrication and new journey are not easily replicated online. technologies to produce local solutions to COVID. Canada needs the knowledge our universities create. The world will not be standing still, and our prosperity depends on it. In the last few months, millions of face shields have been printed and laser-cut. There are hundreds of different, but often related, Our Canadian government can help to ensure the success of stu‐ ventilator projects, alternative face masks and respiratory technolo‐ dents and scholars in the coming months through investments. In‐ gies, a real groundswell of activity centred on protecting and serv‐ vesting in work-integrated learning and upskilling is an investment ing the needs of front-line health care workers and COVID patients. in Canadian productivity. There is also investing in research. Previ‐ ous investments have paid huge dividends during COVID-19. Con‐ tinuing this investment will grow and diversify the Canadian econ‐ You probably have heard these sorts of feel-good stories in the omy. Finally, investing in technology platforms will unlock the media, and they really do highlight the resiliency and capacity of power of the digital world for delivering advanced education and Canadians. But I think they're more than that. They also signal new lead to new discoveries. capacities for innovation and technology development that sit out‐ side the typical mechanisms and provide key capabilities to quickly These are just three examples of many where the return on in‐ problem-solve and respond when industrial systems and infrastruc‐ vestment to Canada could be huge. Such investments will ensure tures break down as we recently experienced. that Canada is equipped to deal with the next major global calamity, because we will have the talent, the creativity and the ability to cre‐ ate new knowledge. I'll give you a little background on me. I'm a professor at U of T, and when COVID hit, I turned my attention to seeing what we As I wrap up my opening comments, I want to emphasize that might do about it. I got a little bit of money from the University of the pivots over the last few months have been expensive, but we Toronto to set up what we ended up calling the Toronto emergency view these expenditures as vital for our students' success and the device accelerator and brought together a group of faculty, students prosperity that they will bring to the future of Canada. In a world and staff to work on critical issues. with such significant uncertainty, investment in post-secondary in‐ stitutions is both an investment in our future and an investment in preparing for the next unknown. Since then, we've produced about 10,000 face shields and dis‐ tributed them to hospitals and long-term care facilities, supported I'm happy to take any questions you may have. the development of a number of hospital-centred projects and pro‐ ● (1410) vided essential equipment to assist in the development of a Canadi‐ an N95 mask test facility run out of the Dalla Lana School of Pub‐ [Translation] lic Health. Should you wish to ask me questions in French, I hope you don't mind, but I will answer in English. But really what we did is we supported what has been called Thank you. community-based innovations focused on supporting communities in need. For example, the face shield project that we built was real‐ [English] ly part of an open innovation process through which we built on the The Chair: Thank you very much, Professor McCauley. solutions of others and provided our own solution to others as well using open licensing to support widespread dissemination and We'll now go to Professor Ratto. quick improvements rather than using patents or other IP mecha‐ nisms. You have the floor for five minutes. Prof. Matt Ratto (Associate Professor and Bell University Labs Chair in Human-Computer Interaction, University of We could, of course, do this because we were leveraging the pub‐ Toronto, As an Individual): Thank you very much.